Chapter 188

• Charlotte burst through the hospital doors, heart pounding like a war drum, Howard's car keys still clutched in her white-knuckled fist. She'd barely registered his stunned face back at the penthouse before racing out, the breakfast cold and forgotten on the table. Now, she sprinted down the sterile corridor toward Max's ward. The ward door swung open to an empty bed—sheets rumpled, IV stand silent, monitors dark. Nurses huddled in frantic whispers, charts clutched tight, while a doctor paced with a furrowed brow, phone pressed to his ear. Charlotte skidded to a halt, breath ragged. "Where's Max? What happened?"
• A young nurse turned, face pale and drawn, eyes wide with worry. "Ms. Carter! We... I just stepped out for his medicine—only a minute. When I came back, he was gone. We searched everywhere: the bathrooms, the lounge, and even the rooftop garden. He's not here. No sign of him."
• Charlotte's world tilted, knees buckling as icy dread clawed her chest. Gone? How?